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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · bore · key · wind · rest · patient · rule · perch

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cue — a hint
  6. key — for a lock
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rule — government
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cue — a signal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wind — moving air
  14. key — the most important part
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rest — a break
  18. rule — a law
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. key — in music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com